Case Study: Odessa College boosts graduation rates and student success with Ellucian Colleague Student Planning

How Odessa College revamped its student services to provide wraparound support

Odessa College, a 6,618‑student community college serving the Permian Basin, faced low regional degree attainment and needed to improve enrollment, completion, and financial aid outcomes for a diverse, workforce‑oriented population. To deliver stronger advising, academic planning, and wraparound student support, Odessa partnered with Ellucian and deployed Ellucian Colleague Student Planning along with Colleague Self‑Service and Ethos integration.

Ellucian’s solutions centralized data, enabled guided pathways and a one‑stop student portal, and let coaches and students collaborate on real‑time academic plans and financial aid tasks. As a result, Odessa reported a 74% increase in graduates, a 15.3‑point rise in student success (C or better), a 28.7% increase in fall enrollment and a 6.5% decrease in drop rate over five years—outcomes the college attributes to its work with Ellucian.

Odessa College

Stephanie Sigler

Director of Pathways Advising